Petkovic Defence Final Brief
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IT-04-74-T 70795 D70795 - D70536 01 April 2011 SF THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL TRIBUNAL FOR THE FORMER YUGOSLAVIA CASE NO. IT-04-74-T IN THE TRIAL CHAMBER Before: Judge Jean-Claude Antonetti, Presiding Judge Árpád Prandler Judge Stefan Trechsel Reserve Judge Antoine Kesia-Mbe Mindua Registrar: Mr. John Hocking Date filed: 31 March 2011 THE PROSECUTOR v. JADRANKO PRLIĆ BRUNO STOJIĆ SLOBODAN PRALJAK MILIVOJ PETKOVIĆ VALENTIN ĆORIĆ BERISLAV PUŠIĆ REDACTED PUBLIC VERSION PETKOVIC DEFENCE FINAL BRIEF The Office of the Prosecutor Counsel for Jadranko Prlić Counsel for Milivoj Petković Mr. Kenneth Scott Mr. Michael G. Karnavas Ms. Vesna Alaburić Mr. Douglas Stringer Ms. Suzana Tomanović Mr. Zoran Ivanišević Counsel for Bruno Stojić Counsel for Valentin Ćorić Ms. Senka Nožica Ms. Dijana Tomašegović Tomić Mr. Karim Khan Mr. Dražen Plavec Counsel for Slobodan Praljak Counsel for Berislav Pušić Mr. Božidar Kovačić Mr. Fahrudin Ibrišimović Ms. Nika Pinter Mr. Roger Sahota PURL: https://www.legal-tools.org/doc/508a3f/ IT-04-74-T 70794 CONTENTS FINAL BRIEF I. MILIVOJ PETKOVIĆ .................................................................................... 1 1. Petković’s personal and professional/military background ............................... 1 2. Petković’s arrival in BiH ................................................................................... 2 2.1. South Front/Battlefield was integral/sole theatre of war in the military sense .................................................................... 2 2.2. IZM of the HV established in Grude (BH) in April 1992 ...................... 4 3. Petković as Chief of HVO Main Staff ................................................................ 5 4. Distinctive features of the HVO military ............................................................ 6 4.1. Ad hoc wartime military force ................................................................ 6 4.2. Common military force of both BH Croats and Muslims ...................... 7 4.3. Territorial character of the HVO military ............................................... 9 4.4. Defensive character of the HVO military ............................................... 10 4.5. Component of the BH armed forces ....................................................... 12 4.6. Goal – Defense of BiH ............................................................................ 13 5. Petković’s personal circumstances during the conflict ....................................... 14 6. Conclusions .........................................................................................................17 II. COMPETENCE OF THE HZHB/HRHB BODIES IN MATTERS OF DEFENCE .........................................................................21 1. HZHB/HRHB PRESIDENT ............................................................................... 21 2. HVO/GOVERNMENT ....................................................................................... 21 3. DEFENCE DEPARTMENT/MINISTRY .......................................................... 25 3.1. HVO MAIN STAFF ............................................................................... 26 3.1.1. Competence .................................................................................26 3.1.2. Structure ...................................................................................... 32 3.2. SECURITY SECTOR ............................................................................. 33 3.2.1. SIS ............................................................................................... 33 3.2.2. MILITARY POLICE .................................................................. 36 3.3. Conclusion .............................................................................................. 40 4. DEPARTMENT/MINISTRY OF INTERIOR ................................................... 41 III. CRIME BASIS (until 24 July 1993) ................................................................ 42 1. General factual background ............................................................................ 42 1.1. Period until mid-April 1993 .................................................................... 42 1.1.1. Milivoj Petković as peace negotiator .......................................... 44 1.2. Period from mid-April until 30 June 1993 .............................................. 45 1.3. Period from 30 June 1993 ....................................................................... 51 1.4. Conclusion .............................................................................................. 57 2. Persecution ........................................................................................................ 58 2.1. The charges ............................................................................................. 58 2.2. Preliminary temporal considerations ...................................................... 59 2.3 The evidence ........................................................................................... 60 3. Deportation and forcible transfer ................................................................... 61 3.1. Prozor ...................................................................................................... 61 3.2. Gornji Vakuf ........................................................................................... 61 1 PURL: https://www.legal-tools.org/doc/508a3f/ IT-04-74-T 70793 3.2.1. Analysis ....................................................................................... 62 3.2.2. Conclusion .................................................................................. 64 3.3. Sovići, Doljani ........................................................................................ 64 3.3.1. Civilians were gathered in Sovići after houses had been destroyed .......................................................... 64 3.3.2. Joint Commission in Sovići on 4 May 1993 ............................... 65 3.3.3. Civilians and BH Army commanders agreed the evacuation/movement ........................................................... 66 3.3.4. HVO was requested to obtain buses ........................................... 67 3.3.5. HVO did not impose any conditions on the evacuation/movement of Muslim civilians ................................. 68 3.3.6. Civilians were supposed to go to Jablanica, but were transported to Gornji Vakuf ............................................... 68 3.3.7. Transport of the civilians from Gornji Vakuf to Jablanica ......... 69 3.3.8. Civilians transported to Jablanica in June 1993 .......................... 69 3.3.9. HVO assisted in all possible manners requested by ABiH ......... 69 3.3.10. Exhibit P02182 ............................................................................70 3.3.11. Exhibit P02200 ........................................................................... 70 3.3.12. Conclusion .................................................................................. 70 3.4. MOSTAR ................................................................................................ 71 3.5. STOLAC ................................................................................................. 73 3.6. ČAPLJINA .............................................................................................. 74 3.7. DEPORTATION/TRANSFER OF THE DETAINED PERSONS ........ 74 4. Detention crimes ............................................................................................... 74 4.1. Introduction ........................................................................................... 74 4.2. Various municipalities until 30 June 1993 .......................................... 75 4.2.1. Prozor .......................................................................................... 75 4.2.1.1. October 1992 .................................................................. 75 4.2.1.2. April – 30 June 1993 ...................................................... 76 4.2.2. Gornji Vakuf ............................................................................... 76 4.2.2.1. Non-civilians .................................................................. 76 4.2.2.2. Civilians ......................................................................... 77 4.2.3. Stolac ........................................................................................... 77 4.2.4. Čapljina ....................................................................................... 78 4.3. Mostar 9 May 1993 ............................................................................... 79 4.4. 30 June 1993 .......................................................................................... 80 4.4.1. Internment ................................................................................. 80 4.4.1.1. Military situation prior to 30 June 1993 .................................... 80 4.4.1.2. Previous warnings of security threats gained new importance and urgency ............................................................................... 81 4.4.1.3. Isolation of the HVO Muslim soldiers and the military conscripts of ABiH ..................................................................... 82 (i) Order of the HVO Supreme Commander ........................ 82 (ii) Order of Milivoj Petković ............................................... 83 (iii) Petković’s reports about the implementation of the security measures .................................................. 85 (iv) Muslim HVO soldiers